End Up Such a Mess
by soulmatesDC
Summary: There's never a dull moment at the Venturi/McDonald house... especially when enemies are now friends, friends can't seem to stop arguing, and there are too many upcoming celebrations to count.


**A/N: I really,**_**really**_** shouldn't be starting a new story when I already have a couple in progress, and even more half finished on my hard drive. **

**This first chapter is relatively short, but I intend on longer chapters later. I'll try to update this weekly, if I have the time and motivation to write. I'm actually kind of really excited about this story, which is amazing because I felt all blah after TCE and I never thought I'd have another idea for a chaptered LWD story again.**

**Enjoy and review**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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Derek hated traveling. He hated packing and unpacking. He hated flying and long car rides. He hated how outdated the picture on his passport is. He hated that he always seemed to forget to pack something, usually underwear or his toothbrush. And he hated his bad luck on this particular trip.

Not only was Derek's flight delayed almost two hours in New York, the plane had undergone turbulence through most of the trip and he now had a stomach ache because of it. And his stupid razor caused the metal detector to go off when he arrived in Ontario, causing the contents of his suitcase to be searched thoroughly. He was pissed that this didn't happen while he was waiting back in New York, angry that he had to be taken off to the side by airport security, and even more mad that he packed mostly cartoon-superhero themed boxers that caused the group of guards to laugh at him.

At least he knew _now_that he needed to pick up socks, and not tomorrow morning when he wouldn't have any clean ones.

He wished that his bad luck would have ended with the troubles he faced with the flight, but he should have known better. The stupid car rental place across the parking lot didn't have his reservation, and all they had left was a bright orange VW Beetle. He cringed as he bent down to crawl into the poor excuse of a car, very tempted to rip the flower off the dashboard, but he didn't feel like paying for the damage.

And then driving through the parking lot was something he didn't feel like doing. He frowned at the ridiculous amount of people, lazily dragging their suitcases behind them and stopping in the middle of the road, most of them thinking it was okay to do so in front of his car.

He kind of wished that it wasn't illegal to run people over.

Gritting his teeth, Derek pulled around an old couple who were arguing about which nondescript light post they parked their car near. He passed a group of college students, probably deciding on whether to go to their hotel or a bar first, as well as a family, the mother continuously counting the heads of everyone in her party. His frown turned into a smile when he noticed someone walking alone to his right, and it grew into a grin when he pulled ahead and looked at them in the rearview mirror.

Derek honked his horn, wincing a bit when a cartoony melody blared, and pulled over to the sidewalk. The woman frowned slightly, looking up from the gossip magazine she was reading. Derek opened the passenger window and she rolled her eyes, continuing to walk past the car.

"Hey," Derek called, pulling along side the woman and putting on his blinkers, gesturing for the car behind him to go around. "You need a ride?" he asked, finally stopping the car and shifting it into park.

Her lips quirked a bit as she closed her magazine, slipping it into her bag. She walked the few feet to the car, setting her suitcase upright before leaning on the open window. "Do you usually pick up women in airport parking lots, or am I just special?" She shifted slightly, placing her fist under her chin.

Derek's eyes darted down to her cleavage for a moment before he caught himself, and when he looked back up at her she was grinning. "Oh no, this is how I normally spend my Tuesday afternoons." He chuckled when she rolled her eyes.

"Hmm," she said, tapping a manicured finger against her bottom lip twice before nibbling a bit on the nail. "Well, there doesn't _seem _to be any cabs around," she told him, causing him to snort because there were several lined up not too far away. She leaned a bit further into the car, which made Derek looked at her chest again, blushing when he was caught for the second time. "You really sure you don't mind?" she asked, eyebrows raised and a teasing smile on her face.

Derek pressed the button for the trunk before getting out and walking around the car to put her suitcase away. "What a gentleman," she sighed, climbing into the passenger side as Derek walked around to get back into the car.

Turning off his four-ways and putting the car into drive, Derek watched the magazine come out of her bag and open on her lap. He smiled as he weaved around the people and cars in the lot, finally finding the exit and driving a bit to the entrance ramp of the highway. He kept glancing to his right, eyes moving between her face, chest and magazine.

"What?" she huffed, closing the magazine on her finger.

His smile grew at her irritation. "Nothing," he said as he focused on the road in front of him. He paused, waiting for her to reopen the magazine. "Just wondering when you got a tattoo."

"About two years ago," she told him, flipping the page to continue the article she was reading, the other hand tugging slightly at the collar of her top to cover the slip of green visible. After a minute she closed the magazine and looked up at him.

Her stare made Derek turn to her, furrowing his eyebrows at the intensity of her gaze. "What?", he asked, parroting her from before.

"Nothing," she smiled and he turned back to the road. "Just wondering when you started checking out your stepsister."

He laughed, long and hard, tears leaking from the corner of his eyes. "I've missed you Case," he said finally, grinning in her direction.

Casey smiled, crossing her legs and turning to look out the window. "I've missed you too Derek."

And with that, this trip back home started looking a lot better to Derek.


End file.
